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Click on the ‘Play’ button above to hear the song as you read the lyrics via the links below. If the player doesn’t start straight away, wait and then press the ‘Play’ button again.
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Nick Cave As Ned Kelly from the album The Chelsea Hotel#4 by ‘Les Paul’s’ (The Paul’s) that is the 4th album in the series of albums about those celebrities, actors, artists, writers, poets, songwriters and musicians that have stayed at the iconic New York through the years or have a strong connection to the hotel.
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The middle arc of the album is where The Chelsea Hotel #4 reveals its full narrative depth. “Nick Cave” and “Tom Waits” stand as twin reflections of the nocturnal soul – two songwriters who inhabit the dark corners of human emotion. The former pulses with gothic grandeur, evoking Cave’s brooding romanticism, while the latter slouches through smoky barroom imagery, steeped in Waits’ gravelly storytelling.
– Read the just published Jamsphere magazine review our album HERE
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download the track Nick Cave As Ned Kelly at download stores HERE and on Bandcamp HERE
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You can download the album The Chelsea Hotel#4 at download stores HERE and on Bandcamp HERE
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Watch the video promo of Nick Cave As Ned Kelly on YouTube HERE
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Nick Cave lyrics
The punk scene has faded and has gone
But in you the spirit lives on
The world’s still crazy and insane
Look out Ned Kelly rides again
Look out Ned Kelly rides again
I see Nick Cave or is it Bela Lugosi
Dismounted in the lobby of the Chelsea
Chewing Brighton rock and dark red toffee
Sure does look white and thin and unhealthy
I saw him like a man possessed up on stage
Rocking with so much anger, hurt and rage
They came to see him melt before their eyes
As the press scum continue to peddle their lies
Jesus wears a thick bullet proof vest
As all the devil worshippers from the east to the west
Want to kill any hope left for the human race
As we slowly spin through time and space
Living and dying both has its cost
Nothing can replace what you have lost
Living everyday can be tough and frightening
Just don’t give up, you gotta keep on fighting
You kicked the devil right outta the door
So lock it tight so he don’t come back no more
We all gotta close our eyes to stay strong
Otherwise we just couldn’t keep on keeping on
Ride too fast and you’ll fall off the horse
Even Mister Superman did of course
Everyone’s in disguise we know it’s true
Hoping for salvation be they a Christian, Muslim or Jew
I met St. Patrick over in New York
Near the Palace we stayed there and talked
Said walk with me those 12 steps of redemption
You gotta walk straight along The Way without exemption
I saw Nick Cave in the lobby of the Chelsea
Looking from head to toe like Bela Lugosi
His body armour fending off the bullets of fame
Look out, Ned Kelly rides again
Look out, Ned Kelly rides again
Look out, Ned Kelly rides again
Music composed and performed by Paul Odiase BMI No. 1252265 (Switzerland)
Song lyrics by Paul Robert Thomas PRS No. 497904008 (London)
PRS Tunecode 849991EV
ISRC: US5UL2554866
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“Nick Cave” is a moody, cinematic tribute to one of rock’s most enigmatic and intense performers. The song evokes Cave’s raw energy, poetic darkness, and almost mythic presence, from his stage persona to his encounters offstage — including vivid Chelsea Hotel imagery that frames him as both artist and outsider.
The lyrics paint a portrait of Cave as a man possessed, battling the pressures of fame, the forces of darkness, and the chaos of the world, while remaining a relentless force of creativity and expression. References to Ned Kelly, Bela Lugosi, and spiritual imagery like Jesus in a bulletproof vest underscore the song’s mix of theatre, allegory, and reverence for Cave’s dramatic flair.
Themes of survival, perseverance, and resilience run throughout: lines like “Just don’t give up, you gotta keep on fighting” highlight both the human and artistic struggle, while “Ride too fast and you’ll fall off the horse” reminds listeners of the fragility behind the mythic image. The song celebrates Cave as a storyteller, a performer, and a spiritual warrior of rock — someone whose presence continues to resonate in the lives of fans even as the world around him spins in chaos.
“Nick Cave” is both homage and narrative portrait, capturing the intensity, intellect, and uncompromising artistry that make Cave a singular figure in music history.
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